There have been a number of designs for devices to clean mud, grass, and the like from the shoes of persons prior to entering a building to reduce the amount of such materials tracked in and thereby preserve the appearance of such buildings and reduce maintenance costs. The majority of such shoe cleaning devices have been of the nature of so-called mechanical door mats, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,635 of which I am a co-inventor. Such door mats tend to be large and complex and are generally designed to be inset or built into a sidewalk in front of a door of an office building, store, or apartment building of some size or in an entry way of such a building. Such devices usually include a grate to support the entire weight of one or more pedestrians, a plurality of brushes with bristles extending through the grate, and a motor of some sort which is engaged with the brushes to effect a motion which will clean at least the sole and heel portions of the shoes of persons supported by the grate.
Because of the size and expense of such devices, they are generally not suitable for installation in front of the doors of private homes or individual apartments. However, the shoe cleaning benefits of such a device are no less desirable in private homes, small stores, or individual offices.